Torque assembly and method of manufacture

ABSTRACT

A torque assembly includes a spindle, a cap mounted on the spindle for rotation about the spindle, and a work-hardened, plastic sleeve inserted between the cap and the spindle for constant rotation of the sleeve and cap with respect to the spindle. The torque assembly may be installed onto a hinged object and fixed object with movement along a single axis. The torque assembly may be formed by: (a) providing a spindle having a base and a rod extending from the base; (b) providing a cap member with an annular section defining an inner diameter; (c) providing an annular plastic sleeve having an inner diameter and an outer diameter; and (d) work-hardening the sleeve for a predetermined time period by compressing the sleeve between the cap and the spindle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to torque devices, and more particularlyto a torque assembly that enables constant, controlled torque for ahinged object.

Torque hinges are well known in a variety of applications. In general, atorque hinge provides a degree of resistance throughout the range ofmotion of a hinged object. In automobiles, torque hinges are commonlyused to control the movement of objects such as storage compartmentlids, sun visors, grab handles, and movable armrests. Other commonapplications include hinged portions of electronic devices, such aslaptop computers.

One common style of torque hinge is a spring torque hinge, whichtypically includes a torsion spring wound around a shaft. The ends ofthe torsion spring are fixed in position to compress the coiled springabout the shaft, creating a friction fit between the spring and theshaft that creates resistance through the shaft's range of motion.Another torque hinge style eliminates the spring, and includes a shafthaving a coating made from urethane, Teflon or another compressivematerial that is press fit into a housing to form an interference fitbetween the coated shaft and the housing.

Unfortunately, conventional torque hinges of all styles suffer fromdisadvantages in that they tend to wear out over time, decreasing theamount of friction on the shaft and thus reducing the amount ofresistance on the shaft to an undesirable amount. In the case of springtorque hinges, the springs tend to come uncoiled over a period of time,reducing their compression about the shaft. Other materials suffer fromwear or deformation, which tends to reduce the friction between thosematerials and the shaft over time. Many torque hinge designs areincapable of meeting current heightened safety and quality standards invarious industries.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a torque assembly including a spindle, acap mounted on the spindle for rotation about the spindle, and awork-hardened, plastic sleeve between the cap and the spindle forrotation about the spindle. The sleeve is work-hardened by apredetermined amount prior to a final insertion of the sleeve betweenthe cap and the spindle.

In one embodiment, the spindle includes a rod and a base, and the capincludes a generally annular section having an inwardly extending flangeat one end and an outwardly extending flange at the opposite end. Thesleeve may be sized such that it fits flush with the outwardly extendingflange. The spindle rod may be inserted through the sleeve and cap suchthat there is a gap between the spindle base and the cap. In oneembodiment, the gap is approximately a 1″ gap.

The spindle base may be attached to a fixed object, and the cap flangemay attached to a hinged object such that the sleeve and cap rotateabout the spindle as the hinged object moves with respect to the fixedobject. In one embodiment, the torque assembly may be installed onto thehinged object and fixed object with movement along a single axis. Forexample, the torque assembly may be installed onto the hinged object byinserting a portion of the hinged object into the gap between thespindle base and the cap, with a portion of the fixed object positionedadjacent the spindle base opposite the hinged object.

In another embodiment, the assembly may include a torsion spring thatacts as an assist mechanism when opening and closing the hinged object.The torsion spring may include a coil and a pair of ends, with one ofthe ends connected to the spindle base and the other end connected tothe cap. In a more particular embodiment, a bracket extends from thespindle base in a direction generally parallel to the spindle rod. Oneof the spring ends connects to the bracket, and the other spring endconnects to the outwardly extending flange on the cap.

The present invention further includes a method for forming a torqueassembly. The method may include the steps of: (a) providing a spindlehaving a base and a rod extending from the base; (b) providing a capmember with an annular section defining an inner diameter; (c) providingan annular plastic sleeve having an inner diameter and an outerdiameter; (d) work-hardening the sleeve for a predetermined time period;(e) changing the inner diameter of the sleeve; and (f) inserting thespindle rod through the inner diameter of the sleeve.

In one embodiment, the sleeve may be work-hardened by inserting thesleeve into the annular cap section and inserting the spindle rodthrough the inner diameter of the sleeve to compress the sleeve betweenthe spindle rod and the annular cap section. The inner diameter of thesleeve may be changed by reaming the inner diameter to a sizecorresponding to a desired amount of torque.

These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention willbe more fully understood and appreciated by reference to the descriptionof the current embodiment and the drawings.

Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the invention is not limited to the details ofoperation or to the details of construction and the arrangement of thecomponents set forth in the following description or illustrated in thedrawings. The invention may be implemented in various other embodimentsand of being practiced or being carried out in alternative ways notexpressly disclosed herein. Also, it is to be understood that thephraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant toencompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well asadditional items and equivalents thereof. Further, enumeration may beused in the description of various embodiments. Unless otherwiseexpressly stated, the use of enumeration should not be construed aslimiting the invention to any specific order or number of components.Nor should the use of enumeration be construed as excluding from thescope of the invention any additional steps or components that might becombined with or into the enumerated steps or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a torque assembly according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an assembled view thereof.

FIG. 3 shows a side cross-sectional view thereof.

FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of a torque assembly according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows an assembled view thereof.

FIG. 6 shows a side cross-sectional view thereof.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a torque assembly according to thepresent invention installed into an armrest storage assembly.

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view thereof with the armrest lid in an openposition.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT EMBODIMENT

II. Overview

A torque assembly according to one embodiment of the present inventionis shown in FIG. 1 and generally designated 10. The torque assemblyforms a torque hinge that provides resistance throughout the range ofmotion for a hinged object. In the illustrated embodiment, the torqueassembly includes a spindle 12, a cap 14 and a sleeve 16. The cap 14 ismounted on the spindle 12 for rotation about the spindle 12, and thesleeve 16 is positioned between the cap 14 and the spindle 12 to form afriction fit between the sleeve 16 and the spindle 12. In the embodimentshown in FIGS. 1-3 and 7-8, the torque assembly further includes atorsion spring 18 and a spring bracket 20. Throughout this description,directional terms, such as “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,”“upper,” “lower,” “inner,” “inwardly,” “outer” and “outwardly,” may beused to assist in describing the invention based on the orientation ofthe embodiments shown in the illustrations. The use of directional termsshould not be interpreted to limit the invention to packages of anyspecific orientation(s).

II. Structure

The spindle 12 is typically formed from drawn steel, such as 1008 CRS(cold rolled steel) although other steel variations and other materialssuch as molded plastic may be used depending on the application. In oneembodiment, the spindle 12 includes a generally circular base 22, and agenerally cylindrical rod 24 extending from the base 22. The base 22includes an upper surface 26 and a lower surface 28 opposite the uppersurface 26. In one embodiment, the base 22 defines a pair of mountingholes 30 extending through the base 22 that are capable of receiving oneor more fasteners for connecting the base 22 to a structure. The sizeand shape of the base 22, and the positioning of the mounting holes 30on the base 22, may be varied in order to configure the spindle to mountto one or more of a variety of desired structures. The rod 24 may extendfrom the center of the upper surface 26 of the base 22 in a directionperpendicular to the base 22, to a distal free end 32. In oneembodiment, the spindle base 22 has diameter of about 1.5″ and athickness between the upper 26 and lower 28 surfaces of about 0.048″.The height of the spindle 12 is approximately 2.235″ from the lowersurface 28 to the distal end 32. The diameter of the rod 24 isapproximately 0.330″. In one embodiment, the diameter of the rod istightly controlled at a particular section of the rod 24 intended toengage the sleeve 16. For instance, the tolerance of the rod diametermay be controlled to +/−0.0015″ in a section of the rod from about 1.0″from the base 24 to about 1.75″ from the base 24. In another embodiment,the dimensions of the rod and base may be varied in order to produce adesired torque for a particular application. Optionally, the rod may bea cylindrical tube capable of receiving a rod (not shown) extendingthrough the center of the tube along the central axis of the torqueassembly 10 to assist in the assembly of the device into a structure andserve as a mounting function for additional torque assemblies, or otherdevices, on the structure. In one embodiment, the rod may be a ¼″diameter rod, although various sizes of rod may be used, depending onthe size of the spindle 12.

In one embodiment, the cap 14 is formed from drawn steel, such as 1008CRS (cold rolled steel) although other steel variations and othermaterials such as molded plastic may be used depending on theapplication. The cap 14 generally includes an annular section 34 that iscylindrical in shape and extends between an upper end 36 and a lower end38. In one embodiment (shown in FIG. 6), the annular section includes aninner diameter 42 and an outer diameter 44. The inner diameter 42 may beabout 0.515″. The cap 14 may include an outwardly extending flange 40extending from the lower end 38 for attaching the cap 14 to a structure,such as a hinged object. The flange 40 may define one or more mountingholes 46 capable of receiving fasteners and/or other objects, such as aportion of a torsion spring. The outwardly extending flange 40 may becircular in shape, and may extend around the entire circumference of theannular section 34. The upper end 36 of the cap 14 may include aninwardly extending flange 48 forming a partially closed upper end 36. Inone embodiment, the outwardly extending flange 40 has a diameter ofabout 1.5″, the inwardly extending flange 48 extends inwardly about0.1″, and the cap 14 has an overall height of about 0.563″.

The sleeve 16 is generally cylindrical, annular element formed frommolded plastic. In one embodiment, the sleeve 16 is formed from ahomopolymer acetal, such as Delrin®, manufactured by DuPont.Alternatively, the sleeve 16 could be formed from another materialhaving desired strength and coefficient of friction characteristics. Thesleeve 16 generally includes a first end 50, a second end 52, an innerdiameter 54 and an outer diameter 56.

In one embodiment, the outer diameter 56 of the molded sleeve 16 is atleast as great as the inner diameter 42 of the cap 14. The height of thesleeve 16 between the first 50 and second 52 ends may be varied fromapplication to application to affect the torque output of the assembly10, as the torque output increases linearly with the length of thesleeve 16.

As discussed in more detail below, the molded sleeve 16 is reworkedprior to its final insertion into the cap 14. In one embodiment, thesleeve 16 is work-hardened for a predetermined period of time prior toits final insertion into the cap 14. For instance, the sleeve 16 may bework-hardened by press fitting the sleeve 16 into the interior of theannular section 34 of the cap 14, and by inserting the spindle 12through the inner diameter 54 of the sleeve 16 an initial time. Thesleeve 16, spindle 12 and cap 14 assembly may be left in this state fora predetermined time, such as 24 hours, to compress the plastic sleeve16 such that the crystalline structure of the plastic sleeve 16 isaltered and the sleeve 16 is plastically deformed. The plasticdeformation of the sleeve 16 results in the removal of creep deformationfrom the sleeve 16, thus work-hardening the sleeve 16. In anotherembodiment, the sleeve 16 may be work-hardened by a different method,such as an alternative method of compression.

In addition, the inner diameter 54 of the sleeve 16 may be altered afterthe sleeve 16 has been work hardened. For instance, the inner diameter54 may be reamed out to a desired, predetermined size that is known toproduce a desired torque output in the final assembly. In oneembodiment, the inner diameter 54 of the sleeve 16 is reamed to 0.322″to achieve a desired high torque output, or the inner diameter 54 isreamed to 0.330″ to achieve a desired low torque output.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, the assembly may include additional elements,such as the torsion spring 18 and spring bracket 20. As shown, thebracket 20 is a rigid, angled bracket having a first leg 60 and a secondleg 62 extending at about a ninety degree angle from the first leg 60.The first leg 60 may be secured to the spindle base 22, for instance, bywelding the first leg 60 to the spindle base 22, or by extendingfasteners (not shown) through mounting holes 64 in the first leg 60 andthe mounting holes 30 in the spindle base 22. The second leg 62 mayextend parallel to the spindle rod 24, and may include one or morenotches 66 therein. In the illustrated embodiment, the torsion spring 18includes a coil portion 68, a first end 70 extending from one side ofthe coil portion 68 and a second end 72 extending from the opposite endof the coil portion 68. The torsion spring 18 is attached between thespindle 12 and the cap 14 such that it can partially uncoil when the cap14 is rotated in one direction to provide assistance to a user that ismoving a hinged object attached to the cap 14 and/or spindle 12. Asillustrated, the coil portion 68 is wound around the annular section 34of the cap 14, the first end 70 extends into one of the mounting holes46 on the outwardly extending flange 40 on the cap 14, and the secondend 72 extends into one of the notches 66 in the bracket 20. In oneembodiment, the assembly further includes a stop washer 82 positioned onthe spindle rod 22.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, in the final assembly, the sleeve 16 isinserted into the annular section 34 of the cap 14 with the first end 50of the sleeve 16 being flush with the lower surface 28 of the spindlebase 22. The spindle rod 24 is inserted through the inner diameter 54 ofthe sleeve 16, leaving a gap between the spindle base 22 and the cap 14.In one embodiment, the gap is about a 1.0″ gap. The stop washer 82 ispositioned on the spindle rod 24 over the upper end 36 of the cap 14. Inthe embodiment including a torsion spring 18 and bracket 20, the spring18 is connected between the bracket 20 and the cap 14 as describedabove.

FIGS. 4-6 show an optional alternative embodiment of the torque device100, wherein the spring 18, bracket 20 and stop washer 82 are notincluded. As shown, the remaining components of the torque device 100,including the spindle 120, cap 140 and sleeve 160 are the same as thosedescribed above in connection with the torque device 10, and thereforewill not be described again in great detail. Suffice it to say that thesleeve 160 is inserted into the cap 140, and the spindle 120 is insertedthrough the sleeve 160 such that the cap 140 and sleeve 160 rotate aboutthe spindle 120 with a degree of resistance created by the interferencefit between the sleeve 160 and the spindle 120.

FIGS. 7-8 show one embodiment of the torque assembly 10 installed intoan armrest storage assembly 200. As shown, the armrest assembly 200includes a fixed object 202 forming the armrest base, and a hingedobject 204 forming the armrest and storage lid. The armrest assembly—aswell as other hinged applications used with the torque assembly 10—maybe arranged such that the torque assembly 10 installation may beaccomplished by inserting the torque assembly 10 along only a singleaxis. In one embodiment, the armrest base 202 includes a pair ofprotrusions 206 extending rearward from the base 202, with eachprotrusion 206 defining a slot 208. The lid 204 includes two protrusions210 extending rearward from the lid 204, with each protrusion 210defining a slot 212. As shown in FIG. 8, when the lid 204 is in an openposition, the slots 208 and 212 are aligned with each other. A torqueassembly 10 may be installed into each adjacent set of protrusions 206,210 by moving the torque assembly in one direction such that the lidprotrusion 210 and the base protrusion 206 are inserted between thespindle base 22 and the cap 14. The spindle base 22 is attached to thelid 204 by a conventional method, such as fasteners extending throughthe lid protrusion 210 and the mounting holes 30 on the spindle base 22.The cap 14 is attached to the armrest base 202 by a conventional method,such as fasteners extending through the base protrusion 206 and themounting holes 46 on the cap 14. The lid 204 may be moved between theopen position shown in FIG. 8 and the closed position shown in FIG. 7 bymoving the lid 204 and thus rotating the cap 14 and sleeve 16 about thefixed spindle 12. In the embodiment including a torsion spring 18, thespring 18 may be arranged such that it is partially uncoiled as thearmrest lid 204 is moved to the open position to assist a user inopening the armrest lid 204.

III. Method of Manufacture

In one embodiment, the manufacture of the torque device includes thesteps of: (a) providing the spindle 12 having a base 22 and a rod 24extending from the base; (b) providing the cap member 14 with an annularsection 34 having an inner diameter 42; (c) providing the annularplastic sleeve 16 having an inner diameter 54 and an outer diameter 56,the outer diameter 56 of the sleeve 16 being at least the same as theinner diameter 42 of the annular cap section 34; (d) work-hardening thesleeve 16 for a predetermined time period; (e) changing the innerdiameter 54 of the sleeve 16; and (f) inserting the spindle rod 24through the inner diameter 54 of the sleeve 16.

The spindle 12 may be formed by drawing and/or stamping the base portion22 and a rod portion 24 from steel, such as cold rolled steel. As notedabove the tolerances for at least portions of the spindle may be tightlycontrolled. In one embodiment, the diameter of the rod 22 isparticularly controlled within the section of the rod 24 intended toengage the sleeve 16. For instance, the tolerance of the rod diametermay be controlled to 0.330″+/−0.0015″ in a section of the rod from about1.25″ from the base 24 to about 1.75″ from the base 24.

The cap 14 may be formed by drawing and or stamping in a manner similarto the spindle 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the cap 14 is formedto include the annular section 34, the outwardly extending flange 40extending from one end 36 of the annular section 34, and the inwardlyextending flange 48 extending from the opposite end 38 of the annularsection 34. Although the dimensions of the cap 14 may be varied fromapplication to application, certain dimensions of the cap 14,particularly the inner diameter 42 of the annular section 34, may becontrolled to a predetermined amount. In the illustrated embodiment, theinner diameter 42 of the annular section 34 is 0.51″.

The sleeve 16 may be formed my injection molding, extrusion, or anotherconventional technique. In one embodiment, the sleeve 16 is formed frommolded homopolymer acetal, Delrin®, manufactured by DuPont. Otheracetals, and other plastics, may otherwise be used. In one embodiment,the sleeve 16 is molded to have a height between the first end 50 andthe second end 52 of about 0.4375″ an outer diameter 56 of about 0.520″and an inner diameter 54 of about 0.322″.

The sleeve 16 is work-hardened, typically by compression, in order toplastically deform the sleeve 16 to reduce creep deformation prior toits final insertion into the cap 14. In one embodiment, the sleeve 16 iswork-hardened by compressing the sleeve 16 in the cap 14. This may bedone by press-fitting the sleeve 16 into the interior of the annularsection 34 of the cap 14, which may require about 500 pounds of force.In one embodiment, the sleeve 16 is inserted into the cap 14 such thatthe end 50 of the sleeve 16 is flush with the lower surface 28 of thespindle base 24 such that the entire sleeve 16 is under a compressiveforce.

After the sleeve 16 has been inserted into the cap 14, the spindle 12,more particularly the spindle rod 24, may be inserted through the innerdiameter 54 of the sleeve 16 to compress the sleeve 16 between thespindle rod 24 and the inner wall 33 of the annular section 34 of thecap 14. The cap 14 and sleeve 16 may be inserted onto the spindle 12 ata specific location along the spindle rod 24. For instance, the spindle12 may be inserted through the sleeve 16 until the cap 14 and sleeve 16are about 1.00″+/−0.25″ from the base 22 of the spindle 12. The assemblyof the spindle 12, cap 14 and sleeve 16 may be left intact for apredetermined period of time that is known to sufficiently alter theinternal crystalline structure of the plastic sleeve 16 such that thesleeve 16 is plastically deformed and a degree of creep deformation hasbeen removed from the sleeve 16. In one embodiment, the predeterminedtime period is at least 24 hours. In one example, the inner diameter 54of the sleeve 16 may increase approximately 0.002″ to 0.003″ after a 24hour period.

After the predetermined time period, the work-hardening of the sleeve 16may be stopped and the sleeve 16 may be prepared for final insertion ofthe spindle 12. In the embodiment where the sleeve 16 is work-hardenedby compression between the cap 14 and spindle 12, the work-hardening maybe stopped by removing the sleeve 16 and cap from the spindle 12. In oneembodiment, the sleeve 16 may remain inserted in the cap 14, and thesleeve 16 may be prepared while it remains in the cap 14. The sleeve 16may be prepared for final insertion of the spindle 12 by altering theinner diameter 54 of the sleeve 16 to a desired amount. In oneembodiment, the inner diameter 54 is altered by reaming the innerdiameter 54 of the sleeve 16 with a reaming tool. The inner diameter 54is reamed, or otherwise altered, to a size that has been determined toyield a particular torque output when the sleeve 16 is assembled withthe spindle 12. In one embodiment, the inner diameter 54 of the sleeve12 is reamed to about 0.322″ to produce a relatively high torque outputfor the assembly 10, or to about 0.330″ to produce a relatively lowtorque output for the assembly 10. Of course, other sizes may be used toprovide different torque values, or to interact with differently sizedspindle 12 and cap 14 components.

After the sleeve 16 has been prepared for final assembly, the spindle 12is inserted through the inner diameter 54 of the sleeve 16. The cap 14and sleeve 16 may again be positioned at a desired location along thesleeve 16. In one embodiment, the cap 14 and sleeve 16 are positionedsuch that they are spaced about 1″ from the base 22 of the spindle 12.In an embodiment that includes the washer 80, the washer 80 may beinserted onto the spindle 12 prior to the insertion of the spindle 12through the cap 14 and sleeve 16. A stop washer 82 may be inserted ontothe spindle 12 after positioning of the cap 14 and sleeve 16. When thetorque assembly 10 has been finally assembled the cap 14 and sleeve 16are capable of rotating together about the spindle rod 24, with thefriction fit between the sleeve 16 and the spindle rid 24 providing aconstant resistance throughout the range of motion of the cap 14.

In an embodiment including the torsion spring 18 and spring bracket 20,the bracket 20 may be attached to the spindle 12 at any time after theformation of the spindle 20. The bracket 20 may be attached by aconventional method, such as fasteners or welding, or it mayalternatively be formed with the spindle as a single piece. The spring18 may be added to the assembly after the cap 14 and sleeve 16 arepositioned on the spindle 12. For instance, the coil portion 68 of thespring 18 is wound around the annular section 34 of the cap 14, and thenthe first end 70 is extended into one of the mounting holes 46 on theoutwardly extending flange 40 on the cap 14, and the second end 72 isextended into one of the notches 66 in the bracket 20.

As noted above, the torque assembly 10 (or torque assembly 100 withtorsion spring) may be installed into one of a variety of applicationsfor use as a torque hinge. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, thetorque assembly 100 is installed into an armrest storage assembly 200.In one embodiment, this installation is initiated by aligning the slots208 on the two protrusions 206 of the fixed armrest base 202 with theslots 212 on the two protrusions 210 of the hinged armrest lid 204 byplacing the lid 204 in the open position shown in FIG. 8. A torqueassembly 100 (or torque assembly 10) may then be installed into eachadjacent set of protrusions 206, 210 by moving the torque assembly 100in a single direction (i.e., along one axis) such that the lidprotrusion 210 is inserted between the spindle base 22 and the washer 80and the base protrusion 206 is inserted between the washer 80 and thecap 14. As noted above, the spindle base 22 is attached to the lid 204by a conventional method, such as fasteners extending through the lidprotrusion 210 and the mounting holes 30 on the spindle base 22. The cap14 is attached to the armrest base 202 by a conventional method, such asfasteners extending through the base protrusion 206 and the mountingholes 46 on the cap 14. The lid 204 may be moved between the openposition shown in FIG. 8 and the closed position shown in FIG. 7 bymoving the lid 204 and thus rotating the cap 14 and sleeve 16 about thefixed spindle 12. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the spring 18 is arrangedsuch that it is partially uncoiled as the armrest lid 204 is moved tothe open position to assist a user in opening the armrest lid 204. Inanother embodiment, the torque assembly 100 may be installed with thecap 14 attached to the hinged portion 204 and the spindle 12 attached tothe base portion 202. The torque assembly 10 may be similarly installedinto other hinged applications, with one of the spindle 12 and cap 14attached to the hinged member and the other of the spindle 12 and cap 14attached to a fixed member. The relative sizes of the spindle rod 24,cap 14 and sleeve 16 (particularly the inner diameter 54 of the sleeve16) may be altered to provide a desired torque output for eachapplication.

The above description is that of current embodiments of the invention.Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from thespirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appendedclaims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles ofpatent law including the doctrine of equivalents. This disclosure ispresented for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted as anexhaustive description of all embodiments of the invention or to limitthe scope of the claims to the specific elements illustrated ordescribed in connection with these embodiments. For example, and withoutlimitation, any individual element(s) of the described invention may bereplaced by alternative elements that provide substantially similarfunctionality or otherwise provide adequate operation. This includes,for example, presently known alternative elements, such as those thatmight be currently known to one skilled in the art, and alternativeelements that may be developed in the future, such as those that oneskilled in the art might, upon development, recognize as an alternative.Further, the disclosed embodiments include a plurality of features thatare described in concert and that might cooperatively provide acollection of benefits. The present invention is not limited to onlythose embodiments that include all of these features or that provide allof the stated benefits, except to the extent otherwise expressly setforth in the issued claims. Any reference to claim elements in thesingular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” isnot to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. A method for forming atorque hinge assembly comprising the steps of: providing a spindleincluding a generally cylindrical rod shaped portion defining a spindleouter diameter; providing a cap member with an annular section defininga cap inner diameter; providing an annular plastic sleeve having asleeve inner diameter and a sleeve outer diameter, the sleeve outerdiameter being greater than the cap inner diameter, and the spindleouter diameter being greater than the sleeve inner diameter; andwork-hardening the sleeve to plastically deform the sleeve bypress-fitting the sleeve into the annular cap section and inserting thespindle rod through the inner diameter of the sleeve to compress thesleeve between the spindle rod and the annular cap section for apredetermined time period; connecting the annular cap to one of a fixedobject and a hinged object; and connecting the spindle base to the otherof the fixed object and the hinged object such that the hinged objectcan move relative to the fixed object by rotating the spindle rod withinthe fixed cap and sleeve.
 2. The method of claim 1 including controllingthe tolerance of the spindle outer diameter to +/−0.0015″.
 3. The methodof claim 2 wherein the spindle includes a base, and the rod shapedportion extends from the base, and including controlling the toleranceof the rod shaped portion of the spindle in section of the rod shapedportion intended to contact the sleeve.
 4. The method of claim 1 whereinthe predetermined time period is at least 24 hours.
 5. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the sleeve is formed to include a first end and a secondend and the annular section of the cap is formed to include an open endand a partially closed end, wherein the sleeve is inserted such that thefirst end of the sleeve is flush with the open end of the annularsection of the cap.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the spindleincludes a base, and the spindle rod is inserted through the sleeveinner diameter to leave a gap between the cap and the spindle base. 7.The method of claim 6 including attaching a torsion spring between thespindle base and the cap, wherein rotation of the spindle with respectto the cap uncoils the torsion spring.
 8. A method for forming a torqueassembly comprising: providing a spindle having a base and a generallycylindrical rod extending from the base; providing a cap having anannular section with an first end and a second end, the second endincluding an inwardly extending flange partially closing the second end;forming an annular plastic sleeve having an inner diameter, an outerdiameter, a first end and a second end, the sleeve defining a lengthbetween the first and second ends, the inner diameter of the sleevebeing less than the outer diameter of the spindle rod; inserting thesleeve into the annular section of the cap; and work-hardening thesleeve plastically deform the sleeve and remove creep from the plasticsleeve by inserting the spindle rod through the inner diameter of thesleeve to compress the sleeve between the spindle rod and the cap. 9.The method of claim 8 wherein the sleeve is formed as a single, unitaryplastic piece.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the sleeve length isgenerally the same as the distance between the first end and the secondend of the annular section of the cap.
 11. The method of claim 10wherein the sleeve is inserted into the annular section of the cap suchthat the first end of the sleeve is flush with the first end of theannular section of the cap.
 12. The method of claim 8 includingcontrolling the tolerance of the spindle outer diameter to +/−0.0015″.13. The method of claim 12 including controlling the tolerance of therod shaped portion of the spindle in section of the rod shaped portionintended to contact the sleeve.
 14. The method of claim 12 wherein thesleeve is inserted such that the second end of the sleeve contacts theinwardly extending flange on the cap and the first end of the sleeve isflush with the first end of the annular section of the cap such thatsubstantially the entire sleeve is under a compressive force.